LARGE groups of foreign language students have turned a local park into a hub of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, residents have claimed.

People living in the area have reported up to 50 teenagers who gather regularly at Hythe Bridge Street Pocket Park beside Castle Mill Stream to drink large amounts of alcohol before going on to local nightclubs.

James Young, an artist and musician from Upper Fisher Row, said their behaviour is damaging the area and making life a misery for people who live there.

He said: “It’s been going on for about three years now and it’s just become worse and worse. They gather there to drink cheap booze so they don’t have to spend lots of money in local clubs.

“They get incredibly drunk and make an awful lot of noise, shouting and yelling and playing loud music on boom boxes.

“It’s become a focus point for foreign language students who have started gathering at the place.

“They start arriving at about 10.30pm when we’re just starting to head to bed and the noise makes it very hard for us to sleep.”

Mr Young, who has lived in Upper Fisher Row for over 30 years, said the problems have recently escalated and have led to violence and vandalism in the park.

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He said: “You get what you’d expect with young people who don’t know how to handle alcohol.

“They get into fights and extreme emotional states and they have damaged and uprooted trees and left litter everywhere. They even managed to break one of the branches of an old willow tree.”

Pratima Mitchell, who also lives in Upper Fisher Row, said the problem wasn’t always confined to the local park. She said: “I came home one night and I found dozens of young people lying in my street.

They were extremely drunk and they were vomiting everywhere and in a very bad way. They asked us not to tell their parents which shows you just how young they are, they’re certainly not old enough to be legally drinking alcohol.”

Councillor for Jericho and Osney Susanna Pressel said she had been aware of the issue for a number of years.

She said: “I have helped to set up meetings between the language schools, the city council and the police in the past and I’m now setting up another one.

“There are regular meetings anyway, but sometimes we need an extra one to deal with this recurring problem.

“I’m also speaking to Trading Standards because if there is underage drinking going on we need to find out where the young people are getting the alcohol from.”

There are around 50 institutions in the city offering language courses for foreign students.

Oxford City Council spokeswoman Louisa Dean said: “We are aware of the issues around Hythe Bridge Street and we have been working with our partner agencies to try to resolve them.

“There is an Oxford Language School Forum which was set up about 18 months ago and is helping to address the problems which includes monitoring and patrolling by city council officers and police officers.”

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EF International Language Centre, in Pullens Lane, Headington, which is one of the largest in the city, declined to comment when approached by the Oxford Mail. Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter.

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Comments (9)

It just shows you how well educated these young people are when they are able to undertake reasonable due diligence ahead of their stay and identify a location in the city that is exempt from "The Oxford City Council Alcohol Consumption in Public Places Order" Just looking at the Oxford City Council website you'd find it difficult to identify that it even exists... Google has found this though:- http://www.oxford.go v.uk/Direct/34987Ite m17.pdf

It just shows you how well educated these young people are when they are able to undertake reasonable due diligence ahead of their stay and identify a location in the city that is exempt from "The Oxford City Council Alcohol Consumption in Public Places Order"
Just looking at the Oxford City Council website you'd find it difficult to identify that it even exists...
Google has found this though:-
http://www.oxford.go
v.uk/Direct/34987Ite
m17.pdfAndrew:Oxford

It just shows you how well educated these young people are when they are able to undertake reasonable due diligence ahead of their stay and identify a location in the city that is exempt from "The Oxford City Council Alcohol Consumption in Public Places Order" Just looking at the Oxford City Council website you'd find it difficult to identify that it even exists... Google has found this though:- http://www.oxford.go v.uk/Direct/34987Ite m17.pdf

Score: 0

carli says...11:37am Wed 23 Jul 14

don't a lot of people who drink too much vomit in the street or is it just that area????

don't a lot of people who drink too much vomit in the street or is it just that area????carli

don't a lot of people who drink too much vomit in the street or is it just that area????

Score: -6

Myron Blatz says...12:00pm Wed 23 Jul 14

Vomit - how 'sick' is that! One sure way of reducing the problem - and stopping hese clubs and pubs being 'booze holes' is to enforce a 9pm curfew on all people under 21 across Oxford - and if this means more PCSOs or Police, then the Government should pay for more - without proper policing we get anarchy, lawlessness, lack of respect, anti-social behaviour and a breakdown in society. It's time to put the genie back in the bottle and make people responsible citizens, not drunken or drug-ridden louts!

Vomit - how 'sick' is that! One sure way of reducing the problem - and stopping hese clubs and pubs being 'booze holes' is to enforce a 9pm curfew on all people under 21 across Oxford - and if this means more PCSOs or Police, then the Government should pay for more - without proper policing we get anarchy, lawlessness, lack of respect, anti-social behaviour and a breakdown in society. It's time to put the genie back in the bottle and make people responsible citizens, not drunken or drug-ridden louts!Myron Blatz

Vomit - how 'sick' is that! One sure way of reducing the problem - and stopping hese clubs and pubs being 'booze holes' is to enforce a 9pm curfew on all people under 21 across Oxford - and if this means more PCSOs or Police, then the Government should pay for more - without proper policing we get anarchy, lawlessness, lack of respect, anti-social behaviour and a breakdown in society. It's time to put the genie back in the bottle and make people responsible citizens, not drunken or drug-ridden louts!

Score: -4

icba1957 says...12:06pm Wed 23 Jul 14

"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter." So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents!

"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter."
So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents!icba1957

"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter." So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents!

Score: 6

Lord Palmerstone says...2:42pm Wed 23 Jul 14

icba1957 wrote…

"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter." So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents!

Broadly they deal with matters that mean they don't have to leave the police station and get sick on their uniforms and drunks getting violent and language line in use in the custody unit for 20 hours non-stop. But if you can point them in the direction of the dirty picture brigade they'll be delighted to assist. Those saddos never take a swing at you or spew in your vehicle.....plus you can then spend 20 hours interviewing them in the station with 2 fans on in the interview room, because it's very hot in police vehicles at the moment.

[quote][p][bold]icba1957[/bold] wrote:
"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter."
So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents![/p][/quote]Broadly they deal with matters that mean they don't have to leave the police station and get sick on their uniforms and drunks getting violent and language line in use in the custody unit for 20 hours non-stop.
But if you can point them in the direction of the dirty picture brigade they'll be delighted to assist. Those saddos never take a swing at you or spew in your vehicle.....plus you can then spend 20 hours interviewing them in the station with 2 fans on in the interview room, because it's very hot in police vehicles at the moment.Lord Palmerstone

icba1957 wrote…

"Thames Valley Police said it had received reports of anti-social behaviour but added it was a council matter." So what exactly DO the Old Bill deal with nowadays? No wonder their success figures are going up if they don't deal with any incidents!

Broadly they deal with matters that mean they don't have to leave the police station and get sick on their uniforms and drunks getting violent and language line in use in the custody unit for 20 hours non-stop. But if you can point them in the direction of the dirty picture brigade they'll be delighted to assist. Those saddos never take a swing at you or spew in your vehicle.....plus you can then spend 20 hours interviewing them in the station with 2 fans on in the interview room, because it's very hot in police vehicles at the moment.

Score: -7

Canismajoris says...4:10pm Wed 23 Jul 14

Legalise weed and make the alcohol illegal.

Legalise weed and make the alcohol illegal.Canismajoris

Legalise weed and make the alcohol illegal.

Score: 2

Myron Blatz says...5:12pm Wed 23 Jul 14

I'm afraid like with most parking issues, the local City and County Councils have taken more and more away from the Plods, and either put public money into Community Response Team (oxymoron) or NSL - the private parking wardens which make money from sure parking issues, and ignore other stuff if they don't want to get involved. both he Police and local Councils seem to push blame and responsibility onto each other, and 'government cutbacks' has become an increasing excuse over the past four years since Cap'n Dave and his Coalition of pirates took over the tiller. It could be worse ..... but probably only in places like Russia or South Africa.

I'm afraid like with most parking issues, the local City and County Councils have taken more and more away from the Plods, and either put public money into Community Response Team (oxymoron) or NSL - the private parking wardens which make money from sure parking issues, and ignore other stuff if they don't want to get involved. both he Police and local Councils seem to push blame and responsibility onto each other, and 'government cutbacks' has become an increasing excuse over the past four years since Cap'n Dave and his Coalition of pirates took over the tiller. It could be worse ..... but probably only in places like Russia or South Africa.Myron Blatz

I'm afraid like with most parking issues, the local City and County Councils have taken more and more away from the Plods, and either put public money into Community Response Team (oxymoron) or NSL - the private parking wardens which make money from sure parking issues, and ignore other stuff if they don't want to get involved. both he Police and local Councils seem to push blame and responsibility onto each other, and 'government cutbacks' has become an increasing excuse over the past four years since Cap'n Dave and his Coalition of pirates took over the tiller. It could be worse ..... but probably only in places like Russia or South Africa.

Score: -8

Doctor69 says...7:00am Thu 24 Jul 14

When I was a young lad drinking in parks and the street was the done thing, however, if the police saw you they would take your alcohol at best. If you were in a bad way you were getting a lift home or to the station. What's changed? There are plenty of police kicking round oxford at night, surely they would see large groups of young vomiting students laid in the road?

When I was a young lad drinking in parks and the street was the done thing, however, if the police saw you they would take your alcohol at best. If you were in a bad way you were getting a lift home or to the station.
What's changed? There are plenty of police kicking round oxford at night, surely they would see large groups of young vomiting students laid in the road?Doctor69

When I was a young lad drinking in parks and the street was the done thing, however, if the police saw you they would take your alcohol at best. If you were in a bad way you were getting a lift home or to the station. What's changed? There are plenty of police kicking round oxford at night, surely they would see large groups of young vomiting students laid in the road?

Score: 0

oafie says...6:09pm Thu 24 Jul 14

The police and council just bat it back to each other and quote multi agency working

The police and council just bat it back to each other and quote multi agency workingoafie

The police and council just bat it back to each other and quote multi agency working

Ipsoregulated

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